Michael Avenatti, attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels, talks to reporters after a federal court hearing in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018. Judge S. James Otero appears poised to toss out a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump by Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Otero said that a tweet the president wrote in April appears to be “rhetorical hyperbole” and protected speech. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)

The Senate judiciary committee has just announced that is is referring false allegations it received about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for criminal prosecution.

The one Grassley refers to is the claim that Kavanaugh raped a woman on a boat in 1985. Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse received that allegation but first shopped it to the media before turning it over to Senate investigators.

It is difficult to see how Julie Swetnick evades attention from the FBI if Grassley’s criminal referrals are taken seriously at all. Not only is she a totally unbelievable witness, her story is so farfetched that it doesn’t even rise to the level of non-credible. Avenatti is probably gambling that the FBI will be reticent to prosecute a woman for accusing a man of rape even though she knows it is false. I’m not sure that is a terribly safe bet right now.

[I swear every time I see that picture of Avenatti I am reminded of this Seinfeld scene]